Archive for November 7, 2023

Dog owners try to block LA River bike path extension, more ghost bikes in City of Angels, and more drama in Armstrong trial

November 7, 2023 / / 2 comments

Let’s hope they’re barking up the wrong tree.

The latest controversy dogging plans to complete the long-delayed LA River bike path comes from pooch owners in the lower San Fernando Valley, who are loathe to give up a sliver of the Sepulveda Basin dog park to make room for the pathway.

Never mind that the entire basin is due for a makeover in the coming years.

The dog owners are demanding that the planned three-mile pathway extension be moved to the south side of the river, away from the existing dog parks.

Other groups and neighborhood councils have joined the dogpile, adding their own voices to complaints over the location and $58 million cost.

The city is also planning a 6′ to 8′ fence to keep bike riders from “agitating” the dogs.

To be honest, it would seem to make more sense to build it on the south bank of the LA River if they can work it out, rather than the current plan to have the path start on the south side, switch to the north bank, then move back to the south bank.

But frankly, all I want is for the city to finally complete the damn thing.

She’d never complain about a bike path encroaching on her dog park.

………

Sadly, the seemingly endless series of ghost bike ceremonies goes on in the City of Angels.

Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, will install a ghost bike this Thursday at 7 pm at the corner of Edgemont and Fountain in East Hollywood for Bob George, the Hollywood producer killed in a dooring while riding in the bike lane on Fountain last month.

I’m told his widow, artist Yasmine Nasser Diaz, and his sister Jennifer will be in attendance.

SAFE is the nonprofit advocacy group founded by hit-and-run survivor Damian Kevitt with a goal of improving “the quality of life for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers alike by reducing traffic fatalities to zero,” according to their website.

Meanwhile, another ghost bike will be installed tomorrow for 57-year old Los Angeles resident Samuel Tessier, who was found dead near the entrance to Universal Studios early Sunday.

Tessier appeared to be the victim of a hit-and-run at first, but police now believe he was killed in a high-speed fall when his bike hit the curb on the steep descent.

Let’s just hope the day finally gets here when these damn things aren’t needed anymore.

……..

CBS News catches you up on everything you need to know about the murder trial of Kaitlin Armstrong for killing rising gravel champ Moriah “Mo” Wilson, but were afraid to ask.

Meanwhile, Armstrong’s former boyfriend, pro cyclist Colin Strickland, testified about their tumultuous relationship and her jealously of Wilson, before attempting to knock a camera out of a photographer’s hand and step on a photog’s foot.

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Nothing like legendary NFL running back Marshawn Lynch to get hundreds of Oakland kids out on their bikes.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. A WeHo website reposts comments from the West Hollywood City Council’s discussion of requiring only protected bike lanes in the city, which passed unanimously; however, it only takes three paragraphs before someone says “we’re not the Netherlands.”

The New York Post’s bike-hating columnist says good riddance to the city’s Revel motor-scooter rental program, while lamenting an increase in bikeshare ebikes due to hit the streets next year, extending the “tyranny of its two-wheelers.”

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A San Francisco man went on trial Monday for an armed standoff with police that began when he was ghost riding another bicycle, leading the cops to fire 15 shots, although it turned out his weapon was a replica handgun loaded with blanks; it also turned out he actually owned both bikes.

………

Local 

No news is good news, right?

 

State

Calbike considers who will benefit from California’s ebike incentive program, suggesting it could help older adults and people with disabilities. If it ever actually launches, anyway. 

An Anaheim bike rider suffered moderate injuries when they were struck by a hit-and-run driver at South Euclid Street and West Katella Ave, in a crash captured on dashcam video shortly after midnight yesterday.

San Francisco bike riders were suitably appalled when the city’s transportation department released a video explaining how to use the much-maligned, unprotected Valencia Street centerline bike lane.

 

National

According to the New York Times, commute times are down nationwide — including a 6.3% drop in Los Angeles — due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and work from home, although transit use has declined precipitously. Thanks to HombeDeBicycle for the heads-up.

They get it. Bike Magazine asks if the debate over analog versus electric bikes is a real fight or a discussion, while asking if we can all just get along.

Tom’s Guide looks at nine early Black Friday ebike deals.

Men’s Journal asks if banning right turns on red lights could save bicyclists. Short answer, yes. Longer answer, hell yes.

Velo considers the Portland bike advocacy group literally standing in the way of workers attempting to rip out a “mistakenly installed” bike lane.

A bike-riding trauma surgeon at the University of New Mexico Hospital is credited with saving the life of another bicyclist who had a heart attack while they were both riding on an Albuquerque trail; four other hospital workers who just happened to be nearby helped with CPR and chest compressions until paramedics arrived 20 minutes later.

A Kansas City lowrider bike club is helping teens develop skills by earning parts to build their own lowrider bikes, through things like good behavior, attendance and grades.

She gets it. The mother of a fallen 16-year old Chicago bike rider says we all need to care about other people’s lives on the roads.

Brooklyn bystanders stopped a driver from fleeing the scene, physically holding her down and taking her keys, after she jumped the curb and hit a bike rider and a pedestrian, critically injuring the latter.

New York bicyclists rip a page from LA long-running Marathon Crash Race/Ride, by riding the closed course for the city’s marathon before runners take to the streets.

Palm Beach is using a two-year old Florida law to crackdown on bicyclists riding two or more abreast on single-lane roads.

 

International

A new international study show four in ten people around the world lack the necessary skills to transition to a climate friendly, bike-first future.

Speaking of lacking the necessary skills, GCN says you’re probably cleaning your bicycle all wrong.

A British psychologist shares what she learned about recovering from a bicycling injury, after suffering a radial head fracture. I did one of those in a bike crash myself. Major ows.

 

Competitive Cycling

Tragic news from Mexico, where 30-year old pro cyclist Orlando Garibay was killed in a collision with a garbage truck driver while driving home after winning a race in San Francisco del Rincón, Guanajuato; both Garibay and his brother had previously raced with the SoCalCycling team. A crowdfunding campaign to help pay his funeral expenses has raised $1,700 of the $10,000 goal.

Swiss prosecutors closed the investigation into the death of 26-year-old Gino Mäder during this year’s Tour de Suisse, concluding no one was criminally responsible for his death.

 

Finally…

You know the whippersnappers are in charge when a bike magazine is overly impressed with a 50-year old mountain biker shredding despite his advanced age. Evidently, pro cyclists are pretty fast on foot, too.

And never let a shopping mall get in the way of a good bike lane.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Narrower and fewer lanes save lives, a weekend of traffic violence, and passing ghost bikes on to the next generation

November 6, 2023 / / Comments Off on Narrower and fewer lanes save lives, a weekend of traffic violence, and passing ghost bikes on to the next generation

Ride or walk carefully today.

The day after the time change usually sees a spike in traffic collisions, so ride defensively for the next few days. 

And don’t forget your lights. 

………

Apparently, narrow traffic lanes save lives.

According to a new study of seven US cities sponsored by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, 12-foot-wide traffic lanes, which remain the norm in too many places, resulted in significantly more crashes than narrower lanes.

Not to mention encouraging drivers to speed, which increases both the risk and severity of crashes, as we’ve learned from other studies.

Narrowing traffic lanes also provides more room for other road uses, like wider sidewalks and bike lanes.

The key findings from the study include —

  • Narrower lanes did not increase the risk of accidents. When comparing 9- and 11-foot lanes, we found no evidence of increased car crashes. Yet, increasing to 12-foot lanes did increase the risk of crashes, most likely due to drivers increasing their speed and driving more carelessly when they have room to make mistakes.
  • Speed limit plays a key role in travel width safety. In lanes at 20-25 mph speeds, lane width did not affect safety. However, in lanes at 30-35 mph speeds, wider lanes resulted in significantly higher number of crashes than 9-foot lanes.
  • Narrower lanes help address critical environmental issues. They accommodate more users in less space, use less asphalt pavement, with less land consumption and smaller impervious surface areas.
  • Narrowing travel lanes could positively impact the economy. This includes raising property values, boosting business operation along streets and developing new design projects.

Meanwhile, another study of Los Angeles-area road diets confirmed that removing traffic lanes improves safety.

Even on high-traffic corridors that exceed Federal Highway Administration recommendations that road diets should be applied to roadways with fewer than 20,000 average daily trips.

According to the authors —

We found that collisions, injuries, and deaths were lower by 31.2% to 100%, depending on the measure, whereas traffic speeds were lower by about 6.7% (peak) to 7.9% (off-peak). We concluded that in Los Angeles higher-traffic-volume road diets appeared to significantly increase safety with only minor effects on traffic speeds.

Let that sink in.

Road diets on high-traffic corridors — even right here in the automotive capital of the world, where driving is considered a God-given right and obligation — dropped traffic deaths and serious injuries by anywhere from a third, to complete elimination.

And all with a minimal impact on driver speeds, taking a typical 40 mph driving speed down to a more reasonable 36.

Which isn’t going to make anyone late for dinner or to pick up the kids, while helping to ensure they’ll actually get there in one piece.

So what the hell are we waiting for?

………

This is who we share the road with.

In an example of just how desperately those street changes are needed, Los Angeles County saw an explosion of traffic violence over the weekend, including the apparent hit-and-run that took the life of yet another person riding a bicycle.

An off-duty LAPD officer was killed, along with another person, when their car was struck by a speeding, allegedly drunk BMW driver in Northridge early Saturday; three other people were injured, including the driver, who is accused of blowing through a red light at over 100 mph.

Two people were killed when a minivan driver being chased by police slammed into a Metro bus in DTLA early Sunday morning, after police reportedly saw someone toss a gun out the window of the minivan. Two people in the backseat, who weren’t wearing seatbelts, were killed while the two people up front survived with non-life threatening injuries; three people on the bus suffered minor injuries, including the driver.

Several people suffered minor injuries, and a number of others were lucky to escape injury, when an alleged drunk driver doing donuts lost control of her car, and slammed into a large group of people standing outside a Valencia bar. And almost needless to say, she fled the scene before she and her passenger were arrested — after reportedly changing seats to hide who was driving.

Video of the crash is appalling.

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Sad to think we need to pass this on to a new generation.

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Austrian stunt cyclist Fabio Wibmer goes for a ride through my Hollywood neighborhood, among other Los Angeles area sites.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

Apparently, hell hath no fury like a London van driver confronted by a bike rider for playing a video game behind the wheel.

Police in Scotland are looking for a driver and passenger who reached out of a passing van to punch a man and woman who were riding their bikes; no word on whether they were injured.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A Fresno woman was collateral damage in an apparent political dispute between a 60-year old pickup driver and a bike rider participating in a Pro-Palestinian demonstration, after the driver, who was allegedly under the influence, tried to speed off when the bike rider began punching him through the open window; the victim was lucky to escape with just a broken ankle, while the driver faces possible hit-and-run and DUI charges, while the bike rider could be charged with assault.

………

Local 

LAist talks with new LADOT General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo, who swears her priority is to make every Angeleno and visitor feel safe on the streets, while revisiting the city’s nearly moribund Vision Zero program — but without making a commitment to the wholesale changes to our streets required to do that.

SoCal speed cams took a step closer to becoming reality in Los Angeles on Wednesday, when City Council Transportation Committee unanimously approved a motion to create an automated Speed Camera Safety Program when a new state law approving a pilot program in Los Angeles, Glendale and Long Beach goes into effect next year.

No surprise here. The bike-riding woman who was struck by Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier this year has filed a lawsuit against the former governator, alleging he was driving “with excessive speed and failed to keep a proper lookout,” despite reports she swerved in front of his SUV.

 

State

A Streetsblog op-ed by Jeanie Ward-Waller, former deputy director for planning and modal programs at Caltrans, relates how she was fired for doing her job, and speaking out when Caltrans officials tried to skirt the law to widen Sacramento highways. Maybe Newsom should just fire the people running Caltrans, and give her the damn job.

A pair of 15-year old Los Banos boys were hospitalized after they were both struck by a 17-year old girl driving a pickup as they rode their bicycles to school.

A Marin columnist calls the “bike lane experiment” on the Richmond-San Raphael Bridge a “fiasco” that has to be ripped out, since it only sees an average of 118 bike trips and 19 pedestrians on weekdays.

 

National

WaPo examines the current nationwide movement to ban right turns on red lights, in the face of rising pedestrian — and bicyclist — deaths.

Bike Portland relates the strange saga of the “accidental” bike lane that city officials are in the process of ripping out, swearing it was unintentionally installed, even though local residents had requested it six years earlier.

An Oregon craft brewer now combines beer, coffee and bicycles. Or as I used to call that, Monday. 

Someone suspended a bicycle from a Spokane bridge pylon, complete with rider.

A Utah man gets screwed when someone stole a pair of ebikes from his garage, and his homeowner’s insurance refused to pay the claim, stating his policy doesn’t cover “motor vehicles” — even though the state classifies ebikes as bicycles.

A new mural along a Jackson, Wyoming bike path honors the Northern Arapaho heritage of many local residents.

Milwaukee is installing new advisory bike lanes, even if London bike advocates might not approve.

Planetizen says Chicago had a banner year for bike infrastructure, installing more than this year than any previous year. Of course, that might not be saying much.  

A Cambridge, Massachusetts doctor says he’d love to recommend bicycling to his patients, without “putting them at risk of injury or worse,” but he can’t unless the city completes its bicycle network.

A New Orleans website offers inspiring photos from the city’s second-annual Big Easy Bicycle Fest.

 

International

Momentum offers advice on how to navigate the urban door zone, which is a leading cause of bicycling injuries.

Electrek picks the best ebikes you can buy at every price point right now. Although you can’t use your California ebike voucher, since the program still hasn’t launched after more than two years.

Now you, too, can own the “Porsche of bike trailers” for the low, low price of just $526. Wake me when someone has the McLaren of bike trailers.

A Canadian website says dozens of bike riders turned out to support a contentious Toronto Complete Street and bike lanes, after the provincial premier said he would rip them out. Although judging by the photo, “dozens” would seem to be a dramatic underestimate.

A Montreal man argues that ebike crashes should be covered by the rider’s auto insurance, after he was hospitalized following a crash with an ebike rider.

The UK’s Daily Mail accuses London’s mayor of losing the battle with the city’s e-bikeshare program, insisting the “two-wheeled gadgets” litter the streets and sidewalks, and are too often “hijacked by yobs.”

An English driver asks how to be nicer to bicyclists, despite sometimes finding them very annoying. Short answer, don’t be an asshole. Longer answer, don’t be an asshole, please.

Cycling Weekly says Italy’s Dolomites are still the best place to ride your bike.

A doctor in Gaza once again demonstrates the value of a bicycle in a disaster, using his bike to ride over rubble to treat patients, after his car was destroyed by Israeli bombs.

An African business site says Kenyans are increasingly enjoying long-distance bicycling, with rides of 111 miles or more.

Your next electric Honda may not be a car.

 

Competitive Cycling

Danish pro Jonas Vingegaard, two-time winner of the Tour de France, was awarded the prestigious Velo d’Or trophy for the year’s best cyclist, and was apparently so unimpressed he didn’t bother to show up for the ceremony; Dutch Tour de France Femmes winner Demi Vollering won the women’s Velo d’Or.

GCN talks with Slovenian cyclist Matej Mohorič, who popularized the now-banned super-tuck position, about his upbringing and his quest to give a ‘higher purpose’ to his racing.

Remembering the good old days of the Tour de France, when doping meant raiding the local cafe to steal a little mid-stage booze.

 

Finally…

Who needs a $2 million a year anti-aging program when you can just buy a bike? Now you, too, can own a vintage steel-frame Colnago tandem for the equivalent of just $330 — although you may have to stand up to ride it.

And we may have to deal with feral LA drivers, but at least we don’t have to worry about leapfrogging deer.

Usually.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Update: Man found dead in apparent high speed fall near entrance to Universal Studios; 5th LA County bike death in 10 days

November 5, 2023 / / 3 comments

Evidently, November is starting off the same way October ended.

For the fifth time in the last ten days, someone has died riding a bicycle in Los Angeles County — three in the City of Los Angeles.

According to multiple, nearly identical sources, a man who had been riding a bicycle was found dead outside the entrance to Universal Studios in an apparent hit-and-run early Sunday.

Paramedics found the victim lying in the street at 3799 Lankershim Blvd around 12:47 am Sunday, suffering from major injuries.

The victim died at the scene. He was described only as a man around 57 years old, which seems oddly specific.

Police aren’t confirming yet that he was killed in a hit-and-run. That seems highly likely, however, though it’s also possible he may have lost control of his bike on the steep hill.

Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD investigators at 213/473-0234.

This is at least the 51st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 17th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County; it’s also at least the ninth time a person was been killed riding a bicycle in the City of Los Angeles since the start of the year.

And he’s the 16th SoCal bike rider killed in the past 30 days.

If this is confirmed as a hit-and-run, it would also be the 18th time someone riding a bicycle died in a hit-and-run in Southern California this year.

Update: At least it’s not hit-and-run this time. 

The victim was identified Monday as 57-year old Los Angeles resident Samuel Tessier. 

According to the LAPD, he appears to have been killed in a high-speed fall after apparently striking the curb on the steep downhill. 

Update 2: A ghost bike will be installed Tuesday, November 7th. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Samuel Tessier and all his loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

243 miles of South Bay bullshit, WeHo considers banning non-protected bike lanes, and LA rips out existing bike lanes

November 3, 2023 / / One comment

Don’t forget tonight’s memorial and ghost bike ceremony for fallen Santa Monica bicyclist Tania Mooser.

Meanwhile, I’m told Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, is working with the widow of fallen Hollywood producer Bob George to arrange a ghost bike ceremony, after he was fatally doored in a Fountain Blvd bike lane, and will invite everyone to show up to demand safer infrastructure when details are in place.

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The South Bay Cities are punting on safer streets and installing a 243-mile network of sharrows, which have been shown to actually increase the risk for people on bicycles.

In fact, recent studies have demonstrated that sharrows are worse than nothing in terms of bicycle safety, while their arrow motif appears to exist solely to help drivers improve their aim in an effort to thin the herd.

Which is why bike writer Peter Flax has said “sharrows are bullshit,” in a Medium column as well as on a popular t-shirt.

So, in other words, the South Bay intends to install 243 miles of total BS.

And frankly, that stinks.

www.nicetryflaxy.com

………

Yes, please.

In marked contrast to the South Bay, the West Hollywood City Council will consider a proposal at their meeting on Monday to plan and implement nothing but protected bike lanes — Class I or Class IV — anywhere in the city.

Better yet, the proposal would be implemented without removing any proposed bike lanes from the city’s General Plan, and could include upgrading existing facilities.

Like the bike lanes on Santa Monica Blvd, which currently provide convenient space for double-parking while waiting for a curbside space to open up in Boys Town.

……..

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton calls out the City of Los Angeles for putting bike riders at risk by removing bike lanes on six streets, in favor of installing still more parking.

Because as we all know, the convenience of drivers matters more than human lives in the City of Angels.

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For those keeping score at home, The Washington Post offers all the facts you need to know regarding the trial of Kaitlin Armstrong for the murder of gravel cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson on Austin, Texas last year.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. Toronto NIMBYs, including the provincial premier, trot out the usual anti-bike lane tropes in calling for the removal of a newly extended bike lane, insisting that no one ever uses it even though it’s the busiest bike lane in the city.

A British bike rider shares harrowing footage of getting deliberately rammed off his bike after he had the temerity to object to a punishment pass; naturally, the woman behind the wheel walked without a single day behind bars.

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Local 

Pasadena’s intentionally irreverent Doo Dah Parade returns in two weeks to gleefully mock the city’s Rose Parade. But ride a bike to avoid the city’s infamous traffic and parking problems. 

 

State

The raisin capital of the world hosted an international transportation innovations summit last week, as Fresno celebrates a lifestyle of fun and livability.

Bay Area bicyclists have filed suit against US Bank, after it allegedly installed a gate blocking a longstanding bike path easement used as a shortcut to access Mt. Diablo, forcing bike riders — including a high school and middle school mountain biking team — to ride a busy, steep and narrow highway instead.

Sacramento is converting a busy one-way street to two ways to make room for bike lanes, although not everyone is onboard.

 

National

Writing for Road Bike Rider, a cycling coach lists 12 common off-season mistakes to avoid.

Bicycling suggests the best forms of cross training to help reach your bicycling goals. Although I originally read that last word as “goats,” which would have made for a much more intriguing article. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t appear to be available anywhere else, so you’re on your own if the magazine blocks you. 

A modern Penny Farthing rider takes pleasure in bringing a little silliness and joy to the streets of Kansas City, even if some people mistake him for a hipster. Because everyone knows Penny Farthings are the hipster transportation of choice.

Cincinnati Bengals safety Nick Scott is one of us, riding his ebike to work at the city’s stadium. Even if he thought the terrain in Los Angeles wasn’t conducive to riding in his four years with the Rams.

A Streetsblog op-ed argues that it’s long past time for protected bike lanes in Jamaica, Queens, which has thus far been ignored by city officials.

A North Carolina website considers cheap and easy changes to improve safety for the state’s bicyclists.

The Orlando, Florida man accused of murdering a couple riding their bicycles home from last year’s Bike Week festivities — the motorized kind — is back for another mental competency hearing, after he was diagnosed schizophrenia and hospitalized earlier this year.

 

International

Momentum examines that makes a great bicycling city. Los Angeles at least has the topography and climate parts covered; the rest, not so much.

Makes sense. A British Columbia driver saw someone on a gas-powered bicycle coming up fast behind her, so she naturally slammed on the brakes, with predictable results.

Kate Middleton, Britain’s Princess of Wales, ran to the rescue in full mom mode when a young boy fell off his bicycle, after she and Prince William rode a bike course at a Scottish school.

Letter writers in the UK take issue with the assertion that bike lanes are only for “champaign socialists.” Everyone knows we’re more into a good craft beer, anyway. 

 

Competitive Cycling

The last place finisher in this year’s 2,500-mile Transcontinental Race from Belgium to Greece discusses her experience on a Road.cc podcast, including crashing into a fence after falling asleep as she was riding her bike.

Carson’s Velo Sports Center will host next years US Elite & Para-cycling Track National Championships, as well as the 2024 Pan American Track Championships.

 

Finally…

If James Bond rode a bike, this would be it. When life gives you mistakenly installed bike lanes, don’t enforce the parking restrictions.

And the proper response to getting a parking ticket is to just ride your bike instead.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

LA Mayor Bass caves to Freeway to Nowhere NIMBYs, and new fed bill aims to protect vulnerable road users

November 2, 2023 / / Comments Off on LA Mayor Bass caves to Freeway to Nowhere NIMBYs, and new fed bill aims to protect vulnerable road users

She gets it.

Los Angeles Times columnist Erika D. Smith asks why the city won’t even study removing the 90 Freeway stub to nowhere, after the mayor and other local officials caved to LA’s notorious NIMBYs.

Mayor Bass had initially supported a federal grant request to fund a two-year study of the project, which would scrap the three-mile, lightly trafficked highway, potentially replacing it with low-cost housing and a massive linear park.

But in true LA fashion, the mayor and other local officials were for it before they was against it, listening to the loudest angry voices instead of the voice of reason.

Now, though, my excitement as well as (Streets For All founder Michael) Schneider’s has given way to familiar feelings of frustration. True to form for NIMBY-indulging Los Angeles, the political support he believed was solid has suddenly turned porous.

That includes Bass: “I do not support the removal or demolition of the 90 Freeway,” she said in a statement last week. “I’ve heard loud and clear from communities who would be impacted and I do not support a study on this initiative.”

L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park agrees with her. After conducting a very unscientific poll of her Westside constituents, she wrote in her newsletter that: “The 11th District does not support the demolition of the 90 Freeway. Your voice is why Mayor Bass rescinded her initial support.”

L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell told me that, despite rumors to the contrary, she never decided to back a study or tearing down the Marina Freeway, which abuts her district in the unincorporated neighborhood of Ladera Heights. “But it’s a moot point now,” she said.

As Smith makes clear, what they’re all now opposing is nothing more than a feasibility study.

No one, at this point, is calling for the actual destruction of anything. And nothing regarding this project would be done for years, if not decades, that would inconvenience motorists in the slightest.

The flip-flopping pols cite a lack of public outreach their rapid NIMBY cave-in. Yet the reason there hasn’t been any is simply because it isn’t time yet.

Extensive outreach would be a major part of the study, and there’s no reason to do any outreach now, because there’s nothing to actually discuss at this point.

In other words, it’s not that it hasn’t been done. It just hasn’t been done yet.

So what’s the problem in just studying whether the project is feasible and practical, or even wanted — without spending a dime of city funds?

If the mayor is going to cave to NIMBY voices this easily, it doesn’t bode well for getting anything accomplished on our streets during her administration.

……..

Inland Empire Rep. Norma J. Torres cosponsored legislation calling on federal government agencies to develop methods to better protect pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, as well as providing grants to cities to improved pedestrian infrastructure.

……..

Prosecutors in Austin, Texas opened the murder trial of Kaitlin Armstrong for the shooting death of gravel cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson, revealing that Armstrong tracked Wilson through Strava to learn where she was staying.

In a chilling note, they also said that the last sound Wilson ever made was a scream of terror.

………

A memorial will be held this Friday evening in honor of 69-year old Tania Mooser, the woman killed by a driver in a Santa Monica collision last weekend.

………

San Diego is looking for more feedback on the city’s draft mobility plan.

Let’s just hope they don’t adopt, then ignore, the finished document, like a certain megalopolis to the north.

………

Tell me again why you need an SUV to carry groceries home.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. A San Francisco letter writer complains that the bike lane on the Richmond-San Raphael bridge “is a joke, foisted on the 40,000 commuters” who use the bridge each day “by the loud and elitist bicycle lobby and its virtue-signaling political allies.” Never mind that the gridlock he complains about is caused by too many people in cars, and won’t be relieved by ripping out the bike lane.

Portland, Oregon is in a dither over whether to rip out a bike lane that was “mistakenly” installed overnight without community input, as bike-riding residents block a large truck to prevent its removal after it was already in the process of scraping the paint off.

No bias here, either. A British mayor faced criticism for his “abysmal failure” to fulfill a campaign promise to rip out a bike lane that has seen several bicycling and pedestrian injuries, in addition to being filled with illegally parked cars. But those injuries couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the parking problem. Right?

………

Local 

Incumbent 4th District Councilmember Nithya Raman and challenger Ethan Weaver discussed transportation, transit and public safety issues in a debate sponsored by Streets For All, with both calling for increased efforts to prevent traffic deaths.

This is who we share the road with. The driver of a heavy electric truck somehow went airborne and slammed through the exterior wall of a pizza place in Hollywood. Which explains all the sirens and why there was a police helicopter circling around our apartment Tuesday night.

Santa Monica is creating a “strategic” 700-foot extension to the Michigan Greenway bike/walk project.

He gets it, too. A Manhattan Beach English teacher describes how he gave up his car for a one-hour bike commute to work, asking “why doesn’t everybody?”

 

State

San Diego will hold the 10th Annual Jim Krause Memorial Charity Cycling Ride the Point to support research to combat pancreatic cancer on November 11th.

A man was shot and killed by Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies in San Jacinto Tuesday afternoon when he pulled a gun as they ordered him off his bicycle.

Sad news from Bakersfield, where a person riding a bicycle was apparently killed in what the CHP described as a “high-speed collision.”

Santa Barbara is attempting to reduce conflicts between bike riders and pedestrians by installing a bike lane down the center of the city’s State Street Promenade.

San Luis Obispo County will build a 1.25-mile, $7.4 million bike path along the scenic stretch of coastline between Morro Bay and Cayucos, providing an alternative to biking on the busy coast highway.

More sad news, this time from Modesto, where a 36-year old homeless woman was killed by a driver while riding her bike last week.

About damn time. The San Francisco city attorney is suing websites that sell banned license plate covers that drivers use to illegally evade the police, tolls and tickets.

Bicyclists in Napa just got their first buffered bike lane.

 

National

And they get it. Electrek says we need fewer driverless cars, and more carless drivers. They also get bonus points for correctly using “fewer,” rather than the commonly used “less.”

Denial is not just a river in Egypt. The Las Vegas driver who killed BMX champ Nathan ‘Nate’ Miller as he rode his bike in the city claimed he’s a good driver who never had a crash before — despite 19 previous tickets, including for driving without a license.

A Colorado company has developed an online calculator to, um, calculate how much a city could save in both carbon and cash by investing in ebikes. Which serves as yet another reminder that California’s long-delayed ebike rebate program still isn’t rebating anything to anyone. 

Kindhearted strangers pitched in to buy a North Dakota man a new ebike, just one day after his bicycle was snapped in half when he was struck by a motorist.

In another reminder that bikes mean business, a Chicago CEO recounts how he started his waste composting business by pulling a red wagon behind his bicycle to pick up food waste when he was still a kid.

A 45-year old randonneur describes the hit-and-run in upstate New York that left him with a fractured back and sacrum, a trashed bike, and a long recovery.

Artnet News tags along with Filipina American artist Jasmin Sian on her daily 15-mile bike commute on New York’s Hudson River Greenway, discovering how it helps inform her art.

Speaking of NIMBYs, New York’s mayor is attempting to un-install a new bike boulevard that is virtually finished by re-opening a call for community input, while continuing to micromanage bike lane projects and back off campaign commitments to build more.

A Memphis newspaper says the city’s depiction as the nation’s least-bike friendly city doesn’t tell the whole story, and that bicycling in the city is amazing and getting better — despite a death rate 21% higher than average.

 

International

GCN suggests the best Christmas gifts for bicyclists. Can we at least put off the Christmas talk until we put Halloween a little further in the rearview mirror?

Bicyclists in Windsor, Ontario are angry after a recent report showed the city built less than three miles of bike lanes in the last two years.

Life is cheap in the UK, where an “arrogant” speeding driver who killed a 77-year old man riding a bicycle while driving with traces of ketamine, cocaine and alcohol in his system, walked without a single day behind bars, as a prosecutor described his standard of driving as “just below” the threshold for dangerous driving. You would think that, regardless of the drug use, killing someone while speeding would be prima facie evidence of dangerous driving. But evidently, you’d be wrong. 

A British self-described “cycling nut” is suing giant bikemaker Giant for the equivalent of over $243,000, after he broke his back in four places when the fork on his new carbon-frame bike separated from the steerer tube while he was riding, and the bike collapsed under him.

The star of Britain’s favorite TV commercial returned to the same hill he walked his bike up as a child to mark the 50th anniversary of the famous bread ad.

The Dutch city of Maastricht is addressing a plague of “wild parking” — illegally locking bicycles to lampposts or railings — by confiscating the illegally parked bikes and increasing penalties to get them back.

Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website considers why it took so long to invent the bicycle after the Mesopotamians invented the wheel.

Beijing, China is cracking down on traffic violations — and not just the ones committed by the people in the big, dangerous machines.

 

Competitive Cycling

Dutch cycling star Jeffrey Hoogland broke the 1 kilometer time-trial world record in Aguascalientes, Mexico, averaging over 40 mph from a standing start.

 

Finally…

Apparently, bikepacking isn’t for everyone. Your next ebike could be made by Lotus, if you happen to have an extra 24 grand lying around.

And this is what it looks like to ride the world’s steepest street.

Or not.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Remaking deadly PCH as Malibu’s Main Street, and Armstrong goes on trial for murder of gravel champ Moriah Wilson

November 1, 2023 / / 2 comments

Thank God October is over.

Now that the deadliest month in memory is finally over, let’s put the whole damn thing behind us and start fresh with a new month. 

Although maybe we can observe today’s Dia de los Muertos by remembering those who have needlessly lost their lives just because they rode a bicycle. 

And recommit ourselves to ensuring it doesn’t happen again. 

………

They get it.

The Los Angeles Times calls for a total makeover of PCH through Malibu, arguing that piecemeal improvements aren’t enough to save lives.

While state and local officials can and should take immediate action to make the road safer, such as putting in more traffic lights and getting permission to install automated speed enforcement cameras, it’s also time to rethink the configuration of PCH through Malibu. It’s a state highway that runs through the middle of the community. The road now caters to commuters and pass-through traffic. It could be redesigned to function as a local road with more sidewalks, traffic signals, bike lanes and crosswalks that force motorists to slow down and drive as though they’re in a city — because they are.

A road redesign won’t be easy. Sections of PCH through Malibu are squeezed between mountains and the ocean, leaving little room to add sidewalks or protected bike lanes without removing a traffic lane or parking or buying expensive property for widening. And it certainly wouldn’t be without controversy, given how many people rely on PCH for different needs. It’s a commuting route, a residential neighborhood, a business district and a destination for beachgoers.

It’s definitely worth reading the whole thing.

Because Los Angeles County’s killer highway is going to keep taking innocent lives until we make some major changes.

……..

Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of 35-year old Kaitlin Armstrong, who faces up to 99 years behind bars for fatally shooting rising gravel champ Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson in Austin, Texas last year.

Armstrong was arrested in Costa Rica after she allegedly fled the country to avoid prosecution, living under an assumed name as a yoga instructor, dying her formerly red hair, and reportedly having plastic surgery to change her appearance.

Prosecutors accuse Armstrong of killing Wilson for being the other woman in a perceived love triangle for the affections of pro cyclist Colin Strickland.

Armstrong added to the media’s fascination with the case by attempting to escape when she was taken to a doctor’s appointment last month, and trying in vain to climb a fence despite being handcuffed.

You can read all about it in the —

……..

A writer for The LA Times experiences the surrealism of biking on a car-free 110 Freeway during Sunday’s Arroyo Fest, as the paper offers photos from the event.

Meanwhile, Streetsblog’s Joe Linton offers his own photos of the joyful event.

………

Dr. Grace Peng provides a powerful thread on the absurd limits placed on bike-riding kids in the South Bay.

Click on the posts to read the full thread on Twitter/X.

………

The EPA wants to see your video documenting your experience with any form of EVs, ranging from from electric scooters to electric school buses.

Which means you could win up to $3,000 just for telling them about what it’s like to ride an ebike.

Or an e-scooter.

Or an electric skateboard or hoverboard.

Thanks to Andre Villasenor for the heads-up.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

London’s Daily Mail insists there’s still no law to deal with reckless bicyclists who kill, after a bike rider who killed a pedestrian got out of jail after 18 months; meanwhile, the victim’s husband says the government is “utterly cowed by the cycling lobby. Although that jail term would seem to suggest that there is, in fact, a law to prosecute reckless bike riders. Never mind that he got more time than most killer drivers do. 

Life is cheap in the UK, where a road-raging woman walked without a day behind bars for deliberately ramming a bike rider in a dispute over a close pass; the victim described it as a hate attack that trashed his $9,700 bike.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A Scottish bike advocacy group called on delivery companies to make sure the ebikes their riders are using are legal and roadworthy, after a bicyclist was terrified following a collision with delivery bicyclist riding salmon in a bike lane. Even though that has absolutely nothing to do with the crash. 

A road-raging British bike rider admitted punching a driver in a dispute over a close pass last month, arguing that he was clipped by the driver’s mirror. Violence is never the answer, no matter how justified it may seem in the moment. 

………

Local 

The L.A. Bureau of Engineering has released a plan for the 25-year, $4.8 billion makeover of the massive Sepulveda Basin in the San Fernando Valley, which currently serves as both a recreation area and a flood control basin.

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton visits the new protected bikeway along Foothill Boulevard in La Cañada Flintridge.

 

State

The California Transportation Commission is holding a public meeting at 1 pm today, both online and in-person, to gather input on the state’s Interregional Transportation Improvement Program, which includes more bike and train projects, as well as flushing more money down the induced-demand toilet for highway projects; they’ll hold another meeting November 8th.

Irvine cops wasted no time busting a bike thief who stole a bicycle belonging to the city.

San Diego planning officials are proposing more housing, greater density, more bike lanes and less parking for the city’s Hillcrest neighborhood; a local city council candidate somehow thinks that’s a bad thing.

A 41-year old woman suffered a broken pelvis when a driver struck her bike in San Diego’s Point Loma neighborhood; police blamed the victim, saying she was riding with no lights and wearing dark clothing. Because evidently, cars down there don’t have lights that could illuminate someone directly in front of them. 

Santa Barbara has reached an agreement over the design of the proposed the Modoc Road Multi-Use Path, which will now require the removal of fewer trees, and less encroachment on an existing preserve.

Humans and zombies turned out for the pre-Halloween opening of a new Davis pump track. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the tip.

 

National

Men’s Health rates the best ebike foldies. 

Bicycling rates the best road bike tires for training and race day. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you. 

Government Technology says build the bike lanes, and delivery cargo e-bikes will quickly follow. Hopefully in the right direction.

A new study considers how to best communicate the dangers faced by vulnerable road users to mitigate dangerous behavior. Thanks to Gabrielle Lesard for the link. 

CNN says cities are cracking down on free parking to free up valuable curb space.

An Alaska railroad will consider leasing a plot of land for a bike path, after failing in its efforts to block it.

The bicycling community will lose its leading Congressional advocate, as Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer announced he won’t seek re-election next year, after 17 years in the House; Bike Portland reports he’s not concerned with his legacy. Although passage of his federal ebike rebate bill would be a good way to cement it.

“Intense” Las Vegas police bodycam video shows the family of fallen bicyclist and former Bell, California police chief Andreas “Andy” Probst arrive at the site of the intentional hit-and-run that killed him; they came the same time the ambulance did, after Probst’s phone alerted them to the crash.

A Texas city installs pretty artistic bike racks, including one that looks like a giant children’s toy. Because everyone knows the best bike racks are the ones no one uses because they don’t look like bike racks. 

Jail inmates in an Arkansas city will take part in a program to learn how to repair bikes, which will be given away to people in need.

Republican Wisconsin state legislators will hold hearings on a pair of proposed bills to ban Madison’s annual World Naked Bike Ride, after becoming incensed that parents allowed their child to participate. Because children should clearly be shielded from nasty things like protesting carbon-based fuels and the climate emergency.

Vermont is discussing long-range plans to build a bicycle corridor along the state’s eatern seaboard, stretching nearly 200 miles from Massachusetts to Quebec.

Rhode Island is encouraging residents to apply for the state ebike rebate program, which pays up to $350 for the purchase of an ebike, or $750 for low-income residents. Meanwhile, California’s ebike rebate program continues to be nothing but vaporware after more than two years. 

This is who we share the road with. A New York drunk driver allegedly caused a multi-car crash that injured eight people Sunday, after previously serving six years for the hit-and-run crash that killed a woman riding a bicycle. Just one more example of officials allowing a deadly driver back on the road, as well as argument for why hit-and-run drivers should lose their licenses permanently. 

A North Carolina bike rider was shot multiple times by bikejackers after he resisted the robbery attempt; fortunately, his wounds aren’t life-threatening, and he was able to keep his bike. Yet another reminder that no bike is worth your life. Just let them take it, and live to ride another day. 

 

International

Montreal is reinstalling a bike lane three years after it was ripped out due to opposition from local residents,

A 77-year old British bike rider is dead because a stoned driver was in a hurry to get home from a friend’s barbecue.

Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website lists nine commuting mistakes you should avoid, like riding in jeans or secretly racing strangers.

Jakarta, Indonesia plans to improve the city’s bike lanes, even after cutting the budget by 80% in the face of local resistance.

A writer rediscovers the charms of Shanghai by riding a bike through the city’s neighborhoods in the autumn breeze, while an American tourist is shocked to see a $15,000 Pinarello left unattended, and unmolested, on the street.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cyclists called it a dark day for hill climbing when the winning competitor in the British championship crossed the finish line using disc brakes. But at least he wasn’t on an ebike.

American Vuelta champ Sepp Kuss and Italian cyclist Giulio Ciccone question the need for a new Saudi-backed Cycling Champions League composed of only the top teams.

Velo describes the tension on the Jumbo-Visma team bus, as Kuss fended off cycling superstars Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard to claim the victory.

A third man has been convicted in the knifepoint robbery of sprinter Mark Cavendish and his wife, including the theft of watches worth $850,000.

 

Finally…

Your next bicycle could be an Aston Martin. Probably not the best idea to try to reclaim your stolen bike from the cops until you clear up those outstanding warrants.

And nothing like leading police in a slow speed chase in a stolen fork lift on the local bike path. Thanks again to Megan Lynch.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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